Yoga

Mylan Cannon/The New York Times

News about yoga, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 9, 2015

Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin vows to add yoga to his exercise repertoire at meeting with Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi, who thanked Putin for Soviet’s salute of International Yoga Day, global celebration initiated by Modi; meeting was part of two Russian summit meetings with number of global leaders in attempt to show that Western efforts to isolate Russia over Ukrainian crisis have failed. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi leads yoga demonstration in New Delhi, kicking off International Yoga Day holiday; holiday purports to restore national pride and begin return to ancient values in flawed modern age. MORE

Jun. 20, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Manil Suri weighs protests from Muslims and others that Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi's International Day of Yoga amounts to foisting Hinduism on general population; traces cultural and religious history of yoga, and says Modi's vision is remarkable in that it presents yoga in largely secular light; contends Modi's main motivation is not religious, but desire to reclaim piece of India's intellectual history and demonstrate his ability to unite diverse people. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi's Yoga Day initiative, featuring public yoga demonstration by 35,000 citizens, is aimed at improving health and mental habits of population and pushing back at Western lifestyle that has set in since colonial days; initiative, which contains echoes of Hindu nationalist thought, has drawn criticism from devout Muslims and others. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Some airports have opened or plan to open rooms for yoga and meditation, in response to travelers' needs to reduce stress while waiting for connecting flights. MORE

Apr. 16, 2015

Number of yoga studios around United States are catering to overweight clients, bucking stereotype that only thin, minimally-clothed yogis can adopt practice. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Wainwright House, organization established in 1951 in Rye, is continuing its history of enriching human spirit through persona-development workshops, yoga and cultural offerings (Metropolitan/Westchester). MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

New incarnation of yoga called snowga combines outdoor snow sports like skiing or snowshoeing with yoga poses in cold temperatures. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Ernesto Londono Editorial Observer questions his passion for Bikram Yoga in light of mounting sexual assault allegations against practice's founder, Bikram Choudhury; calls on studio owners to stop recommending new students to train under Choudhury and to push back against his rigid control of the enterprise; speculates that he will likely discontinue his membership when it expires. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, who built yoga empire with studios worldwide, faces six civil lawsuits from former women devotees accusing him of rape or assault; while Choudhury denies any wrongdoing and faces no charges, accusations have created schism among his students and teachers. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

Jaysea DeVoe is, at age 13, one of youngest yoga teachers in United States and something of minor celebrity in her yoga community in California. MORE

Aug. 21, 2014

B K S Iyengar, celebrated yoga guru who helped to introduce the practice to the Western world, dies at age 95. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Alex French article describes how former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Diamond Dallas Page has created new form of yoga that uses WWE-like blend of manliness and goofiness and has helped older wrestlers rehabilitate their injuries. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Mary Pilon travel article on trip to Rishikesh, India, regarded as the official world capital of yoga. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Yoga classes that come with post-class beer, often held in breweries, are growing trend across country. MORE

Mar. 28, 2014

Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis, founded in 2007 in Manhattan, offers yoga instruction for people with back problems. MORE

Jan. 3, 2014

Dec. 8, 2013

Canadians Ted Grand and Jessica Robertson have founded their Moksha Yoga brand of hot yoga studios in response to dissatisfaction with certain aspects of Bikram yoga; brand, known as Modo Yoga in United States, has become favorite of models, performers and fashion types, particularly in its West Village location. MORE

Nov. 3, 2013

News analysis; flexible nature of women's hips, which can support an unusually wide range of joint movement, can increase not only their proficiency in yoga, but also their predisposition toward injuring themselves while practicing it; health experts suggest that women should pay attention to any pain in their hips if they do yoga, and to practice yoga in moderation. MORE

Oct. 4, 2013

Menopausal women who did yoga had improvements in insomnia symptoms, but no significant improvements in hot flashes, night sweats, depression or anxiety. MORE

Aug. 9, 2013

Is Pilates better than yoga for strengthening exercises? The answer, Gretchen Reynolds notes, depends to a large degree on what muscles you are trying to strengthen. MORE

Jul. 4, 2013

Group of yoga aficionados, most of them women, have gained a following on popular photo-sharing app Instagram by posting pictures of themselves in elaborate yoga poses, often wearing brightly patterned leggings. MORE

Jul. 2, 2013

San Diego Judge John S Meyer rules that Encinitas Union School District in California can teach yoga, rejecting pleas of parents who say classes are inherently religious. MORE

May. 5, 2013

Cyndi Lee, yoga instructor and founder of Om Yoga brand, shares airplane-friendly yoga poses that can help reduce some of discomfort of sitting in cramped seats during flight. MORE

Apr. 7, 2013

Colleen Saidman Yee, former model and yogini, has become a star in her own right since her marriage to yoga world luminary Rodney Yee. MORE

Mar. 27, 2013

Sarah Baughn sues Bikram Choudhury, millionaire founder of wildly popular yoga franchise, accusing him of sexual harassment, discrimination and defamation; Baughn, who was a student of Choudhury's, says she rebuffed repeated advances. MORE

Mar. 22, 2013

Lululemon Athletica expects to lose about $60 million in sales following recall of yoga pants that were overly transparent; lapse may create significant opening for competition in high-end yoga apparel market, which Lululemon is largely credited with creating. MORE

Feb. 22, 2013

Urban Athlete column describes three recently developed forms of yoga classes that incorporate hoops, belly dancing and trampolines. MORE

Jan. 31, 2013

Meditating celebrities and their followers attend gala for Bent on Learning, nonprofit organization that brings yoga to public schools. MORE

Jan. 15, 2013

Hotel companies, and even some airports, are beginning to cater to avid yoga practitioners; number of Americans practicing yoga has risen 29 percent to 20.4 million since 2008. MORE

Jan. 4, 2013

Inmates in prisons across the country are doing yoga to improve their fitness and cope with the stress of overcrowded prison life. MORE

Dec. 23, 2012

News analysis; data suggests that yoga can be remarkably dangerous for men, due to their having more muscle and less flexibility than women. MORE

Dec. 16, 2012

Small but vocal group of parents in Encinitas, Calif, spurred on by head of local conservative advocacy group, are protesting against 30-minute yoga classes offered to all public school students; assert that classes are religious indoctrination representing a violation of First Amendment's separation of church and state. MORE

Dec. 6, 2012

Some yoga teachers incorporate use of marijuana during classes, saying it plays role in achieving relaxation, but most yoga teachers say drugs have no place in the practice. MORE

Nov. 18, 2012

Jake Halpern Lives essay on how true practitioners of yoga must face their fears. MORE

Nov. 15, 2012

Ray Cappo, former singer for heavy metal band Youth of Today, left rock world in late '80s to seek more spiritual life; has since become famous in yoga community for classes featuring complicated inversions and anti-gravity poses. MORE

Oct. 28, 2012

Glenna and Tyler Killick, as well as their four children, who live 45 minutes outside of Edmonton, Alberta, practice yoga as a family, activity that began when Tyler threw out his back and began doing yoga; family has begun participating in competitive yoga events MORE

Jul. 22, 2012

Yogis are seeking an edge, and studios are jumping to provide unique and challenging permutations of traditional classes; offerings range from high-velocity intensity to those that delve deeper into contemplative practices. MORE

Jul. 20, 2012

Several studios in New York City offer classes that combine yoga with strength training and cardio workouts. MORE

Jul. 8, 2012

Hiking Yoga class is offered in Brooklyn's Prospect Park; class intersperses periods of walking with short yoga sessions, providing participants with a chance to connect with nature in an urban environment. MORE

Jun. 12, 2012

International Yoga Asana Championship in Los Angeles offers an opportunity for yogis to show that their discipline belongs in the Olympics. MORE

Jun. 9, 2012

Profile of Jared McCann, who is preparing to represent the United States in the international yoga asana competition Bushnu Charan Ghosh Cup in Los Angeles; McCann embarked on a path to become the 2012 national asana champion when yoga replaced his hard-partying lifestyle in New York City. MORE

May. 20, 2012

Kate Taylor Stretch column; yoga enthusiasts seeking social outlets without smoke, drugs and alcohol are turning to parties that combine live music, raw food and chants. MORE

Apr. 22, 2012

Stretch column notes growing number of New York City yoga studios that are increasing focus on mediation, in addition to physical movement. MORE

Apr. 15, 2012

Students at Norwich University, private military college in Vermont and birthplace of the ROTC, take yoga classes to learn skills for remaining calm in the face of chaos and war. MORE

Apr. 9, 2012

Muhammad Rashid, a Muslim and community activist in Jackson Heights, Queens, is encouraging other Muslims to practice yoga, putting himself squarely against first-generation Muslim immigrants who consider yoga to be Hindu worship and a sin against Islam. MORE